an open-source journey around the world documenting free culture, social innovators & global change.

registration for barcamp bangkok is now open! that's right, after a long and winding road, thailand will have their first barcamp this month. apparently, the social lubricants provided by sugree, patipat and sira lubricated enough info out of my head for them to go full tilt. too bad, i will only be there in spirt! goodluck gang!

Recoded: 2 January 2008Locations: Ushuaia, ArgentinaTags: julie jira, glacier, thoughts, new year resolutions, end of the earth, antarctica, adventure, ushuaia, argentina, video diary, luck of sevenMusic: waiting for superman - iron and wineAbout: back from her love affair with antarctica, julie jira (flickr) and i take to the slopes for a bit of new year climbing and more importantly glacier sledding! while on top of the mountain, i make some painful decisions about antarctica and make a new years resolution.

feeling a bit down on my antarctic prospects, sebastian and rasta max hooked me up with a small barter. for 8 hours i would be forced to sit in the front seat of a land rover to video one of ushuaia's best 4 x 4 tours. running around in the back woods, nunatak adventure took us to the hinterlands of lake escondido for fun, sun, an amazing kickin BBQ and a whole lot of splish splashing.

Recoded: 31 December 2007Locations: Ushuaia, ArgentinaTags: freestyle hostel, new years eve, bbq, end of the earth, antarctica, adventure, ushuaia, argentina, video diary, luck of sevenMusic: highway to hell - AC/DCAbout: after a hard day (see episode 38), i head back to the freestyle hostel, for a bit of R & R and one massive blowout. sorry if the last few frames are blurry, but so is my memory past 3 AM... :P

Recoded: 31 December 2007Locations: Ushuaia, ArgentinaTags: freestyle hostel, michael mccoll, new years eve, end of the earth, antarctica, adventure, ushuaia, argentina, video diary, luck of sevenMusic: no rain - blind mellonAbout: so it's the last day of the year and after spending a whole day running around town banging out my sneekernet i find an email from michael mccoll stating he's found a way south. so i snag my bags and run to the docks only to find out that it's taken him 6 months to hammer out a deal.

Recoded: 29 December 2007Locations: Ushuaia, ArgentinaTags: free hugs, juan mann, hitchhiking, free hugs guide, end of the earth, antarctica, adventure, ushuaia, argentina, video diary, luck of sevenMusic: over the rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'oleAbout: it's lonely out here... super lonely. the likely hood of me holding up a sign and heading south is dwindling fast... in between the infrequent hugs, i think about my buddy juan mann. he's the silly fool who became internet famous for hugging the world. juan's just released an illustrated guide on hugging and is making plans to travel the world for his own internet vlog.

Recoded: 27 December 2007Locations: Ushuaia, ArgentinaTags: pants, end of the earth, antarctica, adventure, ushuaia, argentina, video diary, luck of sevenMusic: walk on the wild side - lou reedAbout: after 6 months, the crotch of my pants departed to another journey. for balls and honor!

every door that has opened has not opened to antarctica. instead, i find myself in a small town with a few new friends and a long list of admirers. i really haven't had a day to myself, and the constant challenges have tested every level of my being. i am now up against a brick wall fighting through negative thoughts and working hard to keep my spirt up.

i have made it to the end of the earth and very few make it past this point. as of today, it is unlikely that i will find a commercial voyage that i can barter. despite that everyone says the same thing - i will not give up holding up my sign - "will work for antarctica." i know there are still untested door knobs (or if you are on a boat, latches). nonetheless, it's time to explore the last foreseeable option.

voyaging on a cruse is not cheap. if you make it to ushuaia, a last min ticket costs in the vicinity of $7,000 USD. fuel will cost another $200 USD, and then one is forced to purchase emergency medical and evacuation insurance at $200 USD. with taxes and jazz, i'm looking at almost $8,000 USD.

i have traveled around the world on the trust and hospitality of the world! i have traveled to the end of the earth exploring our social networks. i have placed my life into the hands of the internet, and you have carried me to the end of the earth. no longer is this one man's dream; i know the world is watching.

by the end of next year, i promise you an inspiring movie that will rock your socks and bring you to tears. if you contribute, i promise you a children's book. i promise your faith, your trust, your love will be rewarded! just as the world has given me it's love, all content will be given freely for the world to view. i have trusted the world and together we stand strong.

i know to some it might sound absurd to make it to the end of the earth and not try what i've tried all along... so i'm going to do what i've done best: asking you, mr and ms internet to help. so here's kick... link to chipin widget for $8000. if you have the chance to give, please do... if you are a corporation and want to sponsor the rest of the journey, feel free... contact me.

if you have cruse contacts or an ace up your sleeve, help a brother out. :)

ps - if you feel that this is a frivilous cause and one shouldn't spend a single cent on this exploration - consider contributing to Alive in Baghdad (community journalism) or The Frozen Pea Fund (breast cancer awareness).

Recoded: 25 December 2007Locations: Ushuaia, ArgentinaTags: freestyle hostel, paul lacoste, free hugs, christmas, end of the earth, antarctica, adventure, ushuaia, argentina, video diary, luck of sevenMusic: chocolate jesus - tom waitsAbout: on a bright and sunny day, paul and i headed down to the waterfront to see if christmas cheer and free hugs will get us anywhere. after a few hours handing out hugs and waving to ushuaia, paul and i get picked up by my buddy matias, carolina and malo for a christmas adventure we will never forget!

Recoded: 23 December 2007Locations: Ushuaia, ArgentinaTags: freestyle hostel, paul lacoste, coworking, cowork central, fernando maclen, end of the earth, antarctica, adventure, ushuaia, argentina, video diary, luck of sevenMusic: dirty water, by the standells - once in a lifetime, by the talking headsAbout: today, i met a new traveler, paul lacoste. while he's from france, he's really a brother from another mother. after the two of us kicked around fruitlessly looking for a ride to antarctica, we ended up at the freestyle hostel's christmas dinner.

Recoded: 22 December 2007Locations: Ushuaia, ArgentinaTags: holiday wish, hitchhiking, traveler, end of the earth, antarctica, adventure, ushuaia, argentina, video diary, luck of sevenMusic: When The Night Feels My Song - Bedouin SoundclashAbout: frustrated at the fact i couldn't seem to get the feeling of this video down, i spent two days editing. in the long run, i think this is the best hook i could cast. well this is my ehook, over the next 24 hours as most of christian world beds down awaiting santa clause, i will spread my net fast and wide. i know that if enough people see the dream, they will know that anything is possible. thank you all who have contributted. i will not give up on the thousand of you who have supported the dream. from the end of the world, yours truly. noneck (youtube video

Recoded: 20/21 December 2007
Locations: Ushuaia, ArgentinaTags: hitchhiking, traveler, end of the earth, ushuaia, argentina, video diary, luck of seven, antarctica, adventure
Music: distractions - nurykabeAbout: another day around ushuaia looking for a mysterious billboard of job postings... surprise, surprise, it doesn't exist! without a doubt i need a much larger hook!

in many ways i feel that i should retitle this journey as "the luck of seven - the re-education of noneck." in reality, it's more discovery than education. when i departed NYC, there was a blank screen with ideas to note, places to walk and face to see.

with 11 days till my six month anniversary of departure, i know these few weeks in ushuaia are just the start. coddled by my global family of geeks, the end of the world features no wikipedia entry, no bulletin board, no hospitality club of wayward transportation. the step from here to the last continent is going to be rough (and of my own decision).

out of all the antarctic travelers whom i met, there's not a single one who hasn't paid less that $4,000 USD in transportation costs (and that's just the boat and hotels here in Ushuaia). while deep down i know there is another way, i know that it won't be easy. the lonely planet guide to boat hitching is clean and simple - don your largest smile, grab some cash, go to the water front and wait.

with temperatures hovering up and down in the 50°s (teens°C) and the wet weather less than perfect, i've been reluctant to be brass. short of donning a skimpy cocktail dress and hitting up every tourist bar, i've scratched every possible option only to find no easy winning number.

as i've pondered these externalities, i've internalized a few of them and wonder where is my ushuaia? if my future idealist vision of the world is antarctica, what part of civilization is closest to it. granted there's a bunch of hard work between here and there, but where do i find that port city that has the most opportunities?

when this trip is over, i'll be living in and out of houston, tx to be with the 8th wonder of my world. when this trip is over and for the next year, i have a long walk back to humanity - i'll work on the two luck of seven books, a movie and finding funding for the three. while my physical placement might be temporary, dr. miggy and i will spend the next year researching our next port of call.

after everything i've seen, touched, smelled and tasted, i can not give up finding the illustrious seventh continent.